The Downtown Our Town Thanks You Award, more commonly known as the DOTTYs, exists “to express the entire community’s gratitude to the people who work tirelessly, selflessly, and often thanklessly to improve our [downtown] neighborhood.” We are delighted to share that our Director of Coaching, Adrianne Bunbury, will receive a much-deserved award on Thursday, March 14 for his over a decade of service at Asphalt Green’s Battery Park City campus!
Adrianne’s journey at Asphalt Green has been nothing short of spectacular. Adrianne started as a camp counselor in 2012, and after experiencing the community in Battery Park City, knew he wanted to stay for years to come. Eventually, he spoke to our Director of Sports and expressed interest in getting involved in his biggest passion—basketball. At the time, Asphalt Green’s basketball program was brand new, and Adrianne got the opportunity to help build it from scratch. The rest, as they say, is history.
Over the past decade, Adrianne has made Asphalt Green’s Battery Park City campus the premier destination for young basketball players in the downtown area and beyond. Today, he serves as our Director of Coaching, overseeing over 1,000 youth basketball players from 23 elite competitive teams and our free and low-cost Community Basketball League. In 2021, Adrianne’s 13U Boys team was selected by The New York Knicks as the Junior Knicks Ultimate Team, awarded to New York City’s best youth basketball team “that kept their head in the game, showed team spirit, and found ways to stay connected to their teammates and the game of basketball during the pandemic.” The award emphasized Adrianne’s unwavering commitment to helping youth athletes practice their passion under any circumstances.
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Throughout his career, Adrianne has provided countless opportunities for young athletes with limited access to sports and fitness. Most importantly, Adrianne’s work has fostered a strong community of basketball players and families at our Battery Park City campus, while setting his athletes up for success on and off the court.
To celebrate, we sat down with Adrianne to hear his thoughts on winning a DOTTY Award and the growth of Asphalt Green’s basketball program.
Asphalt Green transforms lives and builds community through sports, fitness, and play. Can you describe the impact coaches can have on athletes and how sports like basketball can bring people together?
The impact coaches can have on athletes is something that should never be taken for granted. Sports have always been an outlet for me to connect with others. I started playing organized sports in 4th grade through middle school/high school. As an adult, I got a chance to reflect on how much connecting with other kids [in basketball] helped me through my early childhood which meant a lot. Even as an adult I find joy hearing my athletes having lunch together after practice due to the relationship that was formed through Asphalt Green.
What does it mean to you to be recognized as a DOTTY Award recipient?
To be recognized as a DOTTY Award recipient means a lot to me. For one, it took me by surprise because I didn’t expect the award. But it is very meaningful to me because I feel as though I put in a lot of hours, work, and compassion towards the community in Battery Park City.
What advice do you try to offer to your players?
My advice can vary from player to player. But I try to let them know that we are all stacking days no matter how they spend their day. I let them know how important it is to set goals and stack days towards those goals.
What are your hopes for the future of the Asphalt Green basketball program?
My goal is to continue to help bridge relationships between young athletes that will last them a lifetime.
Everyone at Asphalt Green congratulates Adrianne for his DOTTY Award and continued excellence at Battery Park City, which exemplifies our mission to build community and transform lives through sports, fitness, and play for all!